As it turns out, our furry family members can harbor many parasites. These include some familiar ones like ticks and fleas and some less common creatures like heartworms. According to the Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention (CDC), pets’ parasites can also infect humans. In other words, not only your dogs or cats are at risk of health problems, but also your family.
As a pet owner, you understand the grave responsibility of caring for a warm-blooded pet. It’s a commitment that entails going to the vet regularly and being financially prepared for emergencies. But there is another aspect no one talks about: vaccinating your pooch against parasites.
What Are Parasites in Pets?
There are many types of parasites, but they have one thing in common: they cause harm to your pet if neglected. These include mild to severe illnesses. Simply put, a parasite gets its food from a host, like a dog or a cat. Unfortunately, many pets will be infected with parasites at some point in their lives.
Common Types of Parasites
- Heartworms: These can be deadly because they impair a dog’s cardiovascular system, leading to breathing problems and even heart failure. They develop by living in your pet’s heart and arteries and can spread into the lungs or brain if left untreated.
- External worms: These include fleas, ticks, mites, and lice – all of which cause itching for your pet. While an infestation isn’t necessarily dangerous, it will make your pooch uncomfortable (not to mention driving you crazy).
- Intestinal worms: These parasites live in the stomach and intestines, often without symptoms. They can be transmitted through an infected mother to her offspring during gestation or birth. For instance, early stages of intestinal parasites are found in puppies that an unvaccinated female dog nursed.
- Internal worms: These include roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms. Intestinal worms can damage your pet’s digestive tract or even its liver if left untreated. You will also see signs like vomiting or diarrhea, loss of appetite, and malnutrition.
How Vaccines Fight Parasitic Infection
Pet vaccinations can help protect your pet against infectious diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms such as fungi and protozoa (one-celled microscopic animals). They work by stimulating pets’ immune systems into action to create antibodies that neutralize or destroy disease-causing organisms throughout the body with a minimal reaction to side effects.
Vaccines vary widely in how they are made and what they contain. However, most vaccines contain antigens, which cause the body’s immune response and protect against disease. For expert vet advice and needs, you may visit these professional vets in Kinston NC, if you’re nearby.
Benefits of Vaccines Against Parasites
1. Protection
As mentioned, most vaccinations work by stimulating antibodies to neutralize disease-causing organisms throughout the body. This is often accomplished by injecting the vaccine into the animal’s muscle. The amount of time it takes for an animal to develop immunity depends on what type of vaccine it has, how long its body needs to build up protective antibodies, and whether or not the parasite can be transmitted via other animals (for instance, rabies).
2. Ease
Not only do vaccines make keeping your pet safe quick and simple. They also make cases of parasitic infection less common. Vaccinations prevent pets from contracting all kinds of illnesses that regularly affect them. Some examples include parvovirus in dogs and panleukopenia virus in cats.
3. Safety
According to some studies, unvaccinated pets are up to 300 times more likely to develop a parasitic infection than those who have received their shots. Vaccines work by eliciting an immune response against parasitic invaders without serious side effects.
In contrast, the diseases that parasites cause can include vomiting and diarrhea and some even life-threatening conditions such as pneumonia or distemper.
Remember
Keeping your pet safe against parasites is easier than you think with vaccines. But before scheduling an appointment with your vet, make sure they are updated on current rabies and distemper vaccines throughout the year. This minimizes the risk of contracting parasitic infections and other diseases like canine parvovirus or feline distemper.
Also, make sure to check your potential vet clinic’s website to know more about their other services. It’s best to choose one with all the services you need, rather than traveling to different vet clinics for various services.
Above all else, it is crucial to be a responsible pet parent and get your pup vaccinated yearly to lower the chances of contracting harmful parasites in the first place.
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